French back new law to punish lack of respect for icons of the Republic

Fans of all nations, beware: mock the Marseillaise or trifle with the Tricolore the next time your team travels to France and you could land up in jail, with precious little sympathy from the locals.

A survey released yesterday showed nearly 90% of French people back one of the lesser-known clauses in a law and order bill being pushed through parliament by the hardline interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy.

The poll, by the CSA/TMO agency, found that 87% of the 952 people questioned were in favour of punishing any disrespect shown to France's stir ring national anthem or damage done to its famous flag.

The bill, which will become law later this year, proposes a maximum penalty for "offending against the dignity of the Republic and its symbols" of six months in jail, with a fine of up to £6,000.

Other draconian measures in the bill include a two-month prison sentence for prostitutes guilty of "passive soliciting" (wearing a short skirt). Youths who block the stairwells of apartment blocks will be liable to two months in prison, and anyone swearing at a policeman could be fined up to €30,000 (£19,740) and jailed for two years.

The move to defend France's Republican symbols comes may have been triggered by the actions of Algerian fans who jeered the Marseillaise before a France-Algeria soccer match in Paris in 2001. Corsican supporters have been involved in similar incidents.

The France-Algeria incident, which largely involved French youths of Algerian origin, infuriated President Jacques Chirac, who was shown on national television stalking out of the VIP box.

He refused to return until the catcalling had stopped, delaying the start of the match by a nearly half an hour. His show of protest did no harm to his credibililty in the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections.